Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-03-25

portaut information. 1t was necessary tC
prepare for the advance of the remainder
of the army, and to embark munition ant
stores to be sent up York River. But i
no one could replace Mcclellan in tn,
work of quartermaster of the forces
neither could his presence be dispensed
with on the field of battle. While he la
bored in his Office before Yorktown, the
greatest confusion reigned among the
troops in front of Williamsburg. TIE
aged Sumner had taken supreme command
by virtue of his seniority But, singular
ly enough, he had lost his way on the pre-
Vious night between the two lines of ad
vanced out posts, and had passed the
whole night in the forest amidst torrents
of rain, waiting for day break to join his
staff The cold and exposure of this de
plorable night had benumbed the habitua
energy of 1.-The Old Bull, as his soldiers
were wont to call him. He gave no com
mand that did not paralyze and render
immovable every body of troops within
reach of his ORDERS, even the cavalry.
The whole brunt of the battle fell without
Sumner being aware of it, first on Hook
err, then on Berry, then on Peck on the
left and was finally borne by Hancock on
the right. The troops really engaged, not
finding themselves supported, and those
who were held in active readiness, finding
themselves exposed to deadly fire which
they could not return, at first complained
bitterly and at last lost heart. They felt
they were not properly handled. Despond-
ency was depicted in every countenance.
Every one was asking for Mcclellan. Sud
denly vague rumor ran through the
ranks. A wave of instructive agitation
passed over the battalions, The excited
soldiers were on the qtt UiUe for an event.
1t was Mcclellan ! Volleys of huzzahs
greeted the chief whom an opportune dis
patch had brought to the field at the crit-
cal moment. Night approached, it was
trf 1nt., tlon
one felt that an energetic chief would now
| direct the movements of the army. have
never before realized so fully the extent
to which one man may inspire his fellows
with confidence. The next day there was
no need of fighting. The enemy had
gone. Johnston had accomplished his
purpose,
We entered the little town of Williams
burg, founded in the time of William of
Orange The ancient college was full of
wounded. few prisoners were picked
up, a few cannon. and we came to the con
clusion that, on the whole, we must have
won the battle. To continue the pursuit
without rations was thing not to be
dreamed of. The terrific appetite of this
monster with 100000 hungry mouths
which must be filed, was the real occa,
sion of all the solicitude of the general in
chief. Here let me note few of the Incl
dents that occurred during the three days
| sojourned with Mcclellan at Williams
burg 1t was after this first success that
he imposed on his army that infleXible
discipline as to marauding and maraud-
ers, which contributed so powerfully to
the maintenance of the prestige of the
army of the Potomac, and secured the
respect even of it's adversaries. | can bear
witness to the fact that never at any time
or in any country were the rights of pro-
perty and of nOn-combatants more scru-
pulously considered. In the town, houses
inhabited by the proprietors were not al
lowed to be occupied by our men, but
were every where protected by sentinels.
Deserted houses were not disturbed. Fur
niture, cattle, and even wine, were left
untouched. Mcclellan tolerated depreda-
ton of no description. Pilferers were in
continently punished. A permanent court
martial prosecuted pitilessly those who
were guilty of attractions of his disci-
pllne. An officer who ventured to appro-
pirate to his own use few bottles of
champagne was lucky in only having to
restore the lot with an apology. Pigs
alone, straying through the woods with
out owners, escaped the vigors of our Wig
liant protection.
was after the battle of Williamsburg
that the first relations of an official char
acter were established between the two
armies. Mcclellan had sent flag of
truce to nohnston to secure for the wound
ed left in our hands the attention of the
brought DR.. Callum, surgeon general of
the Longstreets corps, under escort, &C
companied by a number of his colleagues
1t was the first time that the gray" and
blue" had met except with hand at each
others threats. The Confederates, sur
rounded by an inconsderable crowd that
had gathered at their approach, seemed to
hesitate to draw near headquarters, in
front of which Mcclellan was standing
such must have been the first meetings in
the 10th century between Catholics and
Huguenots. Both sides looked at each
other as strange beings, the Civil War
having separated those by an impossible
gulf, who but a little before gloried in
belonging to the same great nation. But
kindly word from Mcclellan broke the
ice, and in few moments Federals
and ConfederateS conversed familiarity
without seeming to think of the painful
circumstances which brought them tenn
porarily together On our side inquiries
were made of old friends and schoolmates,
or for some old comrade in arms whom
fortune had thrown into Confederate
ranks. No one was more ca 'er than Nc
Clellan to learn of officers whom he had
known in Mexico and who now occupied
high grades in the Confederate Army At
the end of half day the most cordial re-
lations were established between our visi-
tors and ourselves.
A common idea drew together the
southern surgeons and General Mcclellan
the desire to alleviate the sufferings of
the victims of the war, to whichever side
they might belong. Mcclellan had been
profoundly moved by the spectacle pre-
sented to him after the battle of Williams
burg. On the one hand the old "Univer-
sity of William and Mary" OVERLOOKING
with wounded, the dying, and bodies of
the dead heaped pell-mell by the Confetl-
crates during their retreat, exhibited in
little complete picture of the whole range
of human suffering. In the woods in an
abattis we found other unfortunates held
fast by wounds, stretched in the mud,
without assistance, without a drop of
water or any shelter, exposed to the burn
ing, sun by day, to the chilling dews at
night. The way in which Mcclellan
showed his sympathy for so much suffer
ing, his constant forethought in caring
for them, his frequent visits to the hospi.
tails, the atfectiOnate words of encourage
ment he knew how to address to one and
all, made him the idol of his soldiers.
After the lbattle of Williamsburg our
progress was, necessarily very slow. 1t
was the first time that so numerous an
army had undertaken to trayarSa ON